China’s Jiayin County Has Restored 813 Dinosaur Fossils Since 1902

Jiayin County in China has restored 813 dinosaur fossils in the past 115 years, according to the research department of Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum. Jiayin County, also known as the dinosaur county in China, is located in northeast China’s Yichun City in Heilongjiang Province. According to researchers, hundreds of dinosaur skeletons are buried in Jiayin and nearby areas. So far, archeologists have discovered more than 10 species of dinosaur fossils in the region.

Shen Fengbin, director of the research department of Jiayin Shenzhou Dinosaur Museum, told Xinhua News that the skeleton of a 15 meter long and 6 meter tall dinosaur will be pieced in 2018.

Jiayin Dinosaur National Geological Park in Jiayin County is spread in an area of about 38 square kilometers. This park is located on the right bank of Heilongjiang River and was previously the site of Longgu Mountain. In 2001, the Review Committee of National Geopark gave its approval to develop the area as the Dinosaur National Geological Park.

The first dinosaur fossil in China was discovered at this place in 1902. It was found by a Russian paleontologist who later assembled the remains into an integrated dinosaur skeleton about 4.5 meters high and 8 meters long. Scientists named it Mandschurosaurus amurensis. This skeleton was later exhibited in Former Soviet Union Geological Museum in St. Petersburg. In the past 40 years, researchers have found a large number of animal fossils (of dinosaurs, fish, turtles, birds, alligators, lizards) in Jiayin. Studies have also revealed that dinosaur fossils found in Jiayin belong to sub-family of flathead Hadrosauridae, which lived on earth about 65,000,000 years ago.